Lent and Easter are right around the corner, for us it begins Ash Wednesday, the 10th of February and lasts until and through March 27th Easter Sunday. It is our tradition to sacrifice something you want or love in fast and abstinence, so I’m giving up food, except bread and water, on Fridays and the 2 Holy Days within Easter, as fasting, and electronic toys, imo (distractions from God) as my gift of abstinence, throughout the 46 day Lenten/Easter season... so, I couldn't go without Easter wishes, first …

Easter, the dichotomy ... as per the norm with God, out of this, the saddest, most cruel state of affairs ever known to the panoptic collective Christian soul, comes salvation, the joy of redemption, the qualifying grace for the eternities, the Light of the World. From merciless death to absolute acknowledgement of and as the Son of God, who did indeed rebuild His temple in three days'... Easter's Celebration .

My hope for you in this Easter Season is exactly that ... hope. He gave us, by His death, this right, this privilege... to hope, and so i hope so well for you all to make the most of this magnificent season !

Look at it as a piece of literary endeavor painting a new view of the Crucifixion for you, or read it not, and miss out on the most remarkably detailed description ever to be found of the <truest> Passion of Christ.

Happy Easter folks

<truest> = imo

Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence. -St Augustine

It brings it to life, makes it real. And it makes me cry, every time. Tears of love, gratitude and pain at the inhumanity of man.

i'm sure this is how all will react to the inhumanity, but, although hot tears are usually reserved for great sorrow... my tears at the end, although for Him in His agony, always turn to , that sweet smell of grace in action.

Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence. -St Augustine

EssentialSacrifice wrote:It brings it to life, makes it real. And it makes me cry, every time. Tears of love, gratitude and pain at the inhumanity of man.

i'm sure this is how all will react to the inhumanity, but, although hot tears are usually reserved for great sorrow... my tears at the end, although for Him in His agony, always turn to , that sweet smell of grace in action.

Indeed.

Tears of love.

Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof - Kahlil Gibran

Would write on little bits of paper scriptures like 'I am the door' etc so they would have to look around doors to find the eggs etc. And with the eggs would be another scripture like 'your word is a lamp' and so they would look around any lamps etc.

Theres lots of furniture and objects used in the bible..indoors or out... The kids loved it and want it again this year. Good way to get the kids to read scripture and tie it in with something fun.

I watched The Passion of Christ in a theater a few years ago. Parts were so gruesome I couldn't watch. But -- we Need to remember / realize that Christ Came to die on that cross For us. He Gave His life -- it was Not 'taken' From Him. And More wonderful is that He Rose Again Bodily. That is what Resurrection / Easter Sunday IS about. That tomb was Empty -- because He was no longer there -- He'd risen from the dead just as He'd said He would. And He IS coming back Again.

crochet1949 wrote:I watched The Passion of Christ in a theater a few years ago. Parts were so gruesome I couldn't watch. But -- we Need to remember / realize that Christ Came to die on that cross For us. He Gave His life -- it was Not 'taken' From Him. And More wonderful is that He Rose Again Bodily. That is what Resurrection / Easter Sunday IS about. That tomb was Empty -- because He was no longer there -- He'd risen from the dead just as He'd said He would. And He IS coming back Again.

I think that Mel Gibson got right the physical side of the cross was as far as how violent crucifixion was compared to all other Jesus movies however I have noticed that no Jesus movie shows the spiritual side of the cross inwhich God took all of the worlds sin and the curse for death and placed it on Jesus on top of the physical beating he endured. Every known sickness and disease that plagues man because of sin was placed on him Jesus was in agony on the cross and the spiritual side of the cross needs to be remembered too.

Hebrews 12:2-3 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,despising the shame,and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

2nd Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,lest the light of this glorious gospel of Christ,who is the image of God,should shine unto them.

Happy Easter everyone. I hope yours was blessed. It certainly is the time of year for renewal, and you have been in my prayers for all Easter hoping for God's renewal of our spirits and hope for our future, tomorrow in the here and now and in the forgetful, further future, eternally.

in hell, you love yourself ... and you hate yourself.in heaven, you forget yourself ...

alleluia He has risen, and is bringing those who love Him, along with. !

Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence. -St Augustine

ACB -- God had to take His eyes off Jesus while on that cross because Jesus was bearing all the Sins of mankind upon Himself. He took our sins with him to hell - in our place- and rose again bodily. Jesus Christ was the Only One who Could do that. He rose again breaking the curse we've been under because of our sins.

In hell - reality will be the eternal pain, suffering, total darkness, knashing of teeth -- those who end up there will Then realize how much of satan's lying, deceptiveness they fell victim to or purposefully followed due to satan's deceptiveness. But - then it will be eternally too late. It's BEST to listen NOW -- while there is still time to repent of our sinfulness and accept God's gift of salvation. Jesus Christ is The way, The truth, and The Life.

So - yes - hallelulia -- He Has Risen. Salvation which each individual needs to accept.